Why phone photos are usually enough
Customers do not expect a magazine shoot from a small business. They want to see the real food, the real chair, the real truck and the real storefront. A clear, honest photo of the actual thing does more than a glossy image of something that is not yours.
What hurts a site is a dark, blurry or crooked picture, not a phone camera.
Ten minutes with your phone
A few habits make most phone photos look good.
- Shoot near a window or outside, in daylight. Avoid the flash.
- Wipe the lens. It is surprisingly often the problem.
- Hold the phone sideways for wide shots. Websites are mostly horizontal.
- Clear the clutter out of the frame before you shoot.
- Take several of each, so one is sharp.
- Send the original files, not screenshots or photos from a chat app.
What to shoot, by kind of business
A restaurant needs a handful of the dishes people order most, the room, and the outside, so people can spot the place. A salon or barbershop needs finished work, the chairs and the team. A trades company needs finished jobs, the truck and the crew at work. A shop needs the storefront, the shelves and a few bestsellers. A professional office needs the space and a friendly picture of you.
How many photos a site needs
Fewer than you think. A small site can carry itself on five to ten good photos. The one at the top of the home page matters most, because it is the first thing anyone sees. After that, a few that show the real place, the real work and the people behind it. A site with eight honest photos beats one with forty uneven ones.
What to avoid
Do not copy photos from other websites, Instagram accounts or search results. They belong to someone else, and using them can cause trouble. Photos of customers or staff need their permission. And try not to use heavy filters, because the site should look like the place a customer will actually walk into.
If you really have nothing yet, a simple site with fewer photos and clear words is better than a site stuffed with weak ones.
Photos can change later
A photo is one of the easiest things to change on a site. If you take better pictures next month, a new photo can replace an old one as a small change, or you can do it yourself in the site's editor. There is no need to wait for perfect before you launch.
A word on logos and graphics
Photos are not the only picture on a site. If you have a logo, send it in the best file you have. If you do not, a clean text name at the top of the page works fine for now, and a logo can come later without rebuilding anything.